In 1976, the Northwest Alaska Native Association (NANA) and the Reindeer Herders Association (RHA) asked the Alaska Soil and Water Conservation District and the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service (SCS) for assistance in developing and applying range management plans for reindeer. In response the SCS carried out a 15 million acre survey of 19 reindeer grazing permit areas on the Seward Peninsula.
In 1976, Landsat data were used to classify and map ecological sites in the northeastern areas of the Seward and Baldwin Peninsulas. Photo-interpretation of high altitude infrared color photography was used starting in 1979 and continuing through 1981, 1982 and 1983.
The map is a vector (shp) map, with 41 mapping units that are thoroughly described in the report (Swanson et al 1985).
References
Swanson, J. D., M. Schuman, and P. C. Scorup. 1985. Range survey of the Seward Peninsula reindeer ranges, Alaska. US Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service, Anchorage, Alaska.
